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Open House: Delicious Snacks

One of the most difficult tasks for me as a cook is to provide drop-in guests with snacks. We live on the sea — a great attraction to friends, family and people we hardly know!!
So we get these phone calls: "We're on our way to ... and want to drop in for a cup of coffee and say hello, if that's okay with you guys?" Yes, it's okay, but guess who has to provide a plate or platters of eats in a hurry! And as we do not live close to well-stocked shops, about the only things I can buy ready-made are cold meats and bread! Not very inspiring!
Or I have to provide eats for a few friends: not lunch or dinner, just tasty cakes, pies, pastries or savouries. And I don't feel like turning the kitchen into a food factory ...
(Please, Good Fairy, send me three handmaidens to shop, chop, help prepare — and do all the cleaning up afterwards!)

Cucumber sandwiches are made with fresh springy white or brown bread, lightly buttered, and with the crusts cut off – the perfect cool summer snack to go with your afternoon tea. This recipe idea came from a friend who was lucky enough to attend a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace - she swears this is how they made them! Cucumber sandwiches achieved literary notoriety in Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) when Algernon devours an entire plate full in the first act and there are none left for his aunt, Lady Bracknell. They are presented by Jack as being a delicacy: “Hallo! Why all these cups? Why cucumber sandwiches? Why such reckless extravagance in one so young? Who is coming to tea?”

Easy snacks with a simple filling: look very pretty if made in small fluted loose-bottomed tins! For the pastry, use recipe #231688, which you can use raw (no blind baking). It's easy to work with and the results are fantastic. These tartlets freeze well, and the leftover pastry dough can be frozen too. Prep time does not include making the pastry (which can be done way ahead of time).

You can buy this anywhere, but somehow there is always a slightly artificial flavour to it ... I made this tonight, and it's not too bad. Because Zaar's computer prefers definitive quantities, please see extra notes below. It actually needs a night in the fridge, but I didn't have the time to do that. It will not have the bright pink appearance of the supermarket taramasalata ... and I'm not going to add artificial colour!! Also, this recipe needs to be tasted, and adjusted: I bow to Zaar's computer which wants definite quantities, but the answer is still to taste and adjust. I dislike using potatoes, which gives tarama (to my taste) a rather glutinous taste.

This is an old traditional South African snack, simple and easy to make, and well worth trying as people seem to love them. The Afrikaans name is "Wasgoedbondeltjies", translated in the title! In these modern times I'd serve them with a bowl of Thai Sweet Chilli sauce as a dip. Please note that you can choose which pastry to use -- soda water pastry or puff pastry -- so you can either deepfry them, or bake the puff pastry bundles in the oven.

A quick, light summery lunch snack or starter. I didn't see this variation among the many similar recipes. A favourite brunch bite with us. Because number of servings will depend on how many eaters there are, the servings given below is a guess at how much a long baguette bread will yield. The quantity of onion and tomato given here will be enough for about 12 slices. Use your own judgement, though.

From Robert Carrier, the late British cook who might have been the first innovative cook from those isles. When newly married, in the 70's, he was my guiding light -- famous, approachable chefs as we know them today were thin on the ground then.

This Japanese-type snack or starter does need a deft hand at the deep fryer, and it's best to drop the mixture into hot oil with a spoon. Something really different! Serve with sweet chilli sauce. Prep time does not include cleaning the shrimps, and tiny shrimps are usually sold ready-cleaned. Number of servings will depend on whether you serve it for a family, or as part of a seafood buffet. The recipe makes about 18 - 22 snacks.

I love the lemon olives I can buy at Central Market in Shoreline, just north of Seattle. This recipe from Fine Cooking, #55 has more flavors involved but looks quite similar. Use oil- or brine-packed olives. (The lemons are for zest only, so after zesting, juice the lemons and save the juice for another use.)

There are many pesto recipes here use your favorite, store bought or try my Recipe #49909
Also buy or use your favorite recipe for sundried tomatoes on oil or try Recipe #57884
Be sure they are plump and tender and not rubber.
I served with my Peppercorn Pepperoni with Cheese Bread

I was looking at Dorothy Parks Crostini recipe (it's very good) and thought no I'll add a few ingredients and make bruschettas. This recipe is the result of guess and by golly and by golly it is good (my opinion). The nice thing is if you plan it right they take seconds to put together before serving. Make the toasts well in advance and the spread the day before. I store my opened Sun dried tomatoes in oil in the fridge - If you do this too use the congealed olive oil in the jar to brush on the toast MM